


Unbelievable

by whatacartouchebag



Series: Mercenary AU [2]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Series
Genre: mercenary au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-01
Updated: 2018-08-01
Packaged: 2019-06-19 20:09:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,763
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15517638
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whatacartouchebag/pseuds/whatacartouchebag
Summary: Stardust and Pharaoh. Their first assignment together. As new partners, it should be a walk in the park to complete, without ever having to worry about skeletons rearing up from both their closets, agents potentially going rogue, and a whole slew of trust issues that potentially mean the end of both their careers.“We’re murderers, you know."“But we’re both professionals."





	Unbelievable

**Author's Note:**

> The first meaty section of the Mercenary AU that found its way onto paper thanks to a wonderful animation short gifted to me many years ago. In what is essentially a retelling of said animation, this is the first plot-heavy section of the series, and really got the ball rolling for the rest of it. You can watch the clip at https://bit.ly/2mYagL7

The young man lifted his eyes from the laptop before him, casting them somewhere away from the screen and about the dimly lit safehouse. He didn’t care where his gaze landed, so long as it was _away_ from the preposterous rot he’d just finished reading.

Assignments were one thing.

Playing friends while on assignment were another.

He was _not_ happy about the mugshot that was staring back at him and he scrubbed a hand over his face, leaning back in his chair and folding arms across his chest.

Logically, he could understand why Judai wanted him paired up for this job. Realistically, it made sense; where his strength lay in firearms, and he proudly boasted an impressive shot as a marksman from any range, his upcoming partner found his strong suit to be close range combat.

It was a perfect match, and he didn’t like it one bit.

Yusei glanced back at the photo once more, brows creasing as he stared down that pixelated smile. Something that spoke of smooth promise and all the innocence of a weather presenter.

The soft snort left him in a heartbeat.

There was no such thing as innocence left in either of them.

***

The night swept over the city like a velvet blanket, trying its hardest to dampen the lights of Neo Domino. They protested in a whirl of progression; the hustle and bustle of the streets continuing as hours stretched away from the evening.

Blue eyes kept themselves firmly focused on the building schematics some blocks away, mentally marking the layout of the roof. From where he would take up position, he could see that the only available cover was an old air conditioning unit, but even that would be like holding up a sheet of paper in the face of his rifle.

Fingers reached up, nestling his earbuds a little deeper into ears as he turned away from the laptop. From within them chorused something smooth and sonorous; the rich voice of a lounge singer tickling his senses and guiding his fingers as he sat at the simple desk.

Before him lay a medley of dark metal parts, and he knew each one intimately. Blue eyes scanned over them for a moment, recalling where each lay, and he plucked a nearby toothpick from a cup in the corner, tucking it between teeth. Those eyes closed as hands began to move; skirting over each part and sliding them together in rapid motions. Something he had done a thousand times, and would do a thousand more before he died.

He knew that some people at Academy called him old fashioned – why tote around a relic from the past when there were bigger and better things to use?

Yusei frowned as fingers locked in another part, brows pinching faintly.

He also knew that none of them were capable of holding their own against him if something ever happened to their ‘bigger and better.’ They could keep their impressive technology; he had all he needed right in his own two hands.

The final part screwed silently into place, and blue eyes slivered open, unseeing to the sniper rifle his hands had been constructing as his thoughts wandered.

Technology may not be in his hands, but his cheek still bore the quiet reminder of what it once cost him.

With a silent ‘tch,’ he locked his thoughts away from that notion and glanced back at the window once more. He had a job to do and would need the rest of the night to prepare for the assignment. He knew of Atem’s reputation when it came to handling partners; possibly a reason as to why he was glad to be stationed so far away from him. Yusei reasoned that he would likely feel the urge to shoot him before the sun had crept over the horizon.

Yet Judai wondered why Yusei was against this whole assignment from the beginning.

He gave a silent grumble as he rose from his seat, collecting his belongings and starting to run a final checklist through his head.

***

Pre-dawn stretched across the city skyline, tinting the sky in dim blue as the sun threatened to sneak through the clouds. Yusei walked across the rooftop of a building, glad to feel the still, warm morning air; nothing irritated him more than a breeze.

Blue eyes glanced over to a distant building, one he had spied upon earlier. From his vantage point now, he could safely stay out of sight _and_ keep an eye on his ridiculous charge. He knelt down near the lip of the building, dumping both backpack and the small briefcase he carried either side of him. It would still take him some time to set up what he needed, and the first thing he reached for was his phone, quietly flicking on his music and tucking one ever-present earbud into an ear.

Despite how lost to the music he would appear, he never once let his attention waver from the task at hand, nor his surroundings. He knew it was a dangerous habit, but he honestly couldn’t do without it some days. He glanced up at the building once more, sweeping through the windows below it before the faint frown crossed his expression.

He reached for his phone without looking, tapping in a number and dropping the device to the ground once more. It rang for a short moment before picking up, and a smooth chuckle was all that met him in greeting.

“You’re late,” Yusei spoke into the attached microphone, placing the last of his needed items to the side.

“Good morning to you, too,” the voice at the other end replied. “I felt like stopping for coffee on the way. Interested? I know a place that does a mean short black.”

“I’d rather get paid first,” he replied, laying himself down on his stomach and bringing his rifle closer to his shoulder. “Then you can buy me some Advil.”

Atem could only laugh at him as Yusei reached for his binoculars, tucking them close to eyes and training them on the building. It didn’t take him long at all to find the figure walking within, dressed in that ever-present suit of his. Yusei couldn’t help but snort at that.

“Actually, I take it back, you can buy yourself some fashion sense first,” he added.

“You don’t like it? Shame, I picked it out with you in mind, too,” came the reply laced with mock offence.

Yusei resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “What is it with you and suits, honestly?”

“I would’ve thought it was obvious,” Atem replied, his free hand carrying a small briefcase. Yusei followed the cut of his clothes as he walked, not seeing at all where those hidden blades sat. It was something that made him wonder about the young man; he knew obvious hiding places for such things, but Atem wasn’t exactly obvious about anything.

“I’m a professional, and as such, I like dressing in a manner befitting of a professional,” came the lengthy explanation.

There was a brief pause, and Yusei resisted the urge to hang up on him.

“We’re murderers,” came the flat reply.

“But we’re both _professionals_ ,” he answered. The young man reached an elevator, and Yusei raised his binoculars to the roof, sweeping over it briefly. If he didn’t find something else to look at, he’d want to shoot _him_ and that would put a horrible crimp in their assignment. Brows furrowed lightly.

“He’s there,” Yusei told him.

“Good. It’d be awkward if he wasn’t,” Atem replied, leaving Yusei to wonder why he even said yes to this in the first place.

“Don’t screw it up,” was all he said before cutting the connection and tugging his earbud out and sliding his phone into his back pocket. He drew his rifle closer, nestling it further into his shoulder until it became comfortable, familiar; once done so, fingers slid to grasp about the trigger, but keeping his finger tucked away until such a time as was required of him.

_If_ it was required of him; that part was entirely dependent on Atem, however.

With his free hand, he reached for binoculars once more, ensuring the target had not moved, but also to take note of what he carried. It certainly looked like what they were after, but there would be no way of knowing until they returned it to Academy and they actually looked inside.

Yusei felt something in his stomach tighten as he watched the man. He looked… calm. Far too calm than the usual ones that came offering simple gifts for large sums of money. In Yusei’s experience, this usually meant that they were hiding a Plan B, and he closed his eyes for a moment, lowering his binoculars.

Fingers reached up, tracing across the jagged line that laced his cheek and blue eyes snapped open once more. In a wash of heat signatures before him, the city came alive in a broiling world of life, and he tapped the adjacent triangle. Varying colours washed over his vision as he continued to tap, until blue eyes saw the rifle before him light up in a blaze of gold.

From deep within the building, he saw a similar signature, small and concealed, heading upwards in the elevator, as Atem’s weapons lit up. How one person managed to carry so many concealed blades on him and still move with all the freedom of a gazelle surprised him to no end. Still, satisfied that what he saw was more than enough to get the job done, he cast his eyes about the skyline, looking at buildings adjacent to them. Within various rooms, far too deep to be any perceived threat, he noted similar markers of blinding gold, and for each one he catalogued and passed over, became satisfied that they would not be enough to interfere with their assignment.

Blue eyes closed once more, fingers tracing the same path down that jagged line once more, and as he glanced back up, the world returned to its normal wash of dim blue. He drew his attention back to the man on the roof, lowering one eye to the scope atop his rifle once more, but keeping his other open to help guide his weapon.

As he lay, he settled, letting his breathing slow, feeling his muscles grow languid as he allowed himself to simply lie in wait, watching with practised ease as he allowed his hold about the rifle to steady. It was something he had long since learned to do and he would always take the time to do so; something the newer members of Academy still had a hard time grasping.

Yusei was getting sick of teaching them how to simply _breathe_.

One blue eye caught the movement of Atem entering the rooftop, and he followed him only briefly, still wondering where those hidden blades were. Wherever his secret stash remained, there was certainly a _lot_ of them. Yusei turned his attention to their mark, watching with interest as that oily smile wormed its way upon his expression, his gaze turning to the briefcase in Atem’s hand, eyes lighting up even more.

It was something he’d seen nearly every man die from.

Downright stupid greed.

Yusei almost felt like leaving Atem to take care of the dirty work; these sort of jobs never interested him in the end.

In his pocket, his phone suddenly vibrated, and he reached for it slowly, tucking an earbud in with as little movement as he could. He had an idea of who the mysterious caller was, and he remained silent, eyes focused on the sight before him.

“So nice of you to accept my invitation so early in the morning!” came the voice through the earbud, and Yusei watched the man speak with Atem, brows furrowing lightly. He’d have to ask him about this little idea later; it was a level of trust he liked from an associate, but it still jeopardised them both even further.

“It would’ve been rude of me not to, especially when you were so gracious about it,” Atem replied, his back to Yusei as he tucked a hand into a pocket. _Terrible move_ , Yusei’s mind whispered, no matter _how_ fast the young man could move, it would still be wasted time if things went foul.

“Did you bring what you promised?” he continued. Yusei watched the man lift his briefcase, giving it a faint rattle.

“Just what the doctor ordered. The only thing that’s missing is the bow, but I figured you’ll forgive me for that,” the man replied with a nonchalant shrug. Atem gave a brief nod at that.

“Completely understandable, though you don’t mind if I take a peep inside? I’d hate for my boss to rouse on me, you see.”

Yusei felt the faint smirk ghost upon his lips, one hand sliding fingers along the scope of his rifle, gently slipping the scope cover out of the way. As he peered through it properly, he lined up the man, watching him go through the motions of unclipping the case and holding it open to Atem.

“See? Just like a promised,” he told him. “One itty bitty chip, courtesy of the generous mister Seto Kaiba.”

Atem gave a quiet chuckle at that, slipping the hand from his pocket and bringing his own case up. “And, just like _I_ promised,” he began, opening it up to proudly display what Yusei knew to be a _very_ generous sum of money within. “Worth every penny, wouldn’t you say?”

The man could only grin at him, and Yusei felt the hair stand on the back of his neck.

Here was the moment he always knew was coming.

“Now that you mention it, heh, it sure is…” the man told him simply.

Yusei’s fingers relaxed their hold, waiting.

“Which is why I’m feeling more than generous this morning,” the young man continued, and Yusei allowed his gaze to flick to him briefly. What was he playing at…

He watched with dawning surprise as Atem lowered his case to the ground, placing one foot atop it and kicking out, forcibly sliding it over to the man. Yusei’s eyes went wide as he forced himself to take a steadying breath; was he _suicidal?_ You _never_ gave them the money first! That was simply _asking_ for trouble!

The man glanced down at the briefcase, noticeably wondering if there was some trick involved here. Several blocks away, the sniper himself was wondering the same damn thing.

Atem merely spread his hands in a brief gesture of innocence, quietly tucking them into pants pockets once more.

“Might want to buy yourself some nice coffee this morning,” came the simple phrase, and Yusei felt his brow furrow as the words instantly replayed in his head. “It’s always nice to get paid first, don’t you think?”

The sniper swallowed, knowing _exactly_ what he said in response to that phrase some time ago. Which meant that things were certainly about to start hurting, and he slipped his finger above the trigger, watching and simply _waiting_ for the attack to start.

“You know, I think I will,” the man replied, placing a hand to his hip and smirking at the young man. “It’s the least an Yliaster can do to repay me.”

The startle was sudden and evident across Atem’s entire being. “What?” he breathed.

In the moment it took him to respond, Yusei swore under his breath at him, watching the man tear out a hidden firearm. Before he could even think to line up the shot, Yusei’s finger squeezed the trigger, and a hair of time later, the man dropped to the rooftop like a puppet with its strings cut; deep crimson pouring from twin wounds within head and heart.

Atem stood watching the fallen mark, his own firearm still clenched in his hand from its hasty retrieval, shock still tucked into his expression, yet it was swiftly being replaced with anger. Quiet rage. How dare this scum breath a word of that…

_How dare he_.

“Atem, what the hell was that?” Yusei’s voice snapped quietly in his pocket. Fingers curled lightly at his side, allowing the intrusion to settle his thoughts for now. No, rage could come later. For now, there was a job to finish.

He walked towards the fallen man as he tucked his gun away, kneeling next to him and relieving him of both suitcases as Yusei continued to bark at him.

“Stop ignoring me you son of a-!”

“Alright already,” Atem sighed, tucking his phone into his shoulder as he cracked open the man’s case. “Geez, it’s as if you’ve never been placed on hold before,” he grumbled softly.

“Why did he say that?” Yusei snapped, still glaring at him through the scope, snarl evident on his lips as dark brows remained tightly knit.

“Possibly because he despises Kaiba along with the rest of the free world?” Atem offered.

“That’s not what I meant and you know it!” Yusei cried, utterly forgetting everything about stealth as his anger rippled to the surface. “He called you an Yliaster; is that true?”

Atem gave a faint snort, tucking the chip into the folds of his jacket pocket, standing once more and holding his phone properly. He fell silent, casting his eyes to the sky and simply remaining motionless. Yusei, despite the rage that boiled over from within, knew that there was an answer in that stance, and he lay tense, forcing himself to breath as evenly as he could.

“A lifetime ago, perhaps,” came the quiet murmur.

Yusei clenched his jaw tight, not liking the answer he already confirmed from that silence.

“Does the Academy know?” the blunt statement fell from him in short rhetoric, and even Atem had to snort quietly at that; of course they _wouldn’t know._ Even if they did, Judai would never even look at him aside from placing a mark upon his head.

“Fudo…” came the quiet breath of voice.

“Why?” Yusei interrupted him, blue eyes still trained on the young man’s back.

Atem paused for a moment. “Hardly something I can nutshell over the phone,” he mumbled.

“Why did you _leave?_ ” Yusei tried again, pressing for something, _anything_ , to help him understand what the hell was going on with his partner.

Silence resounded between them, and Yusei could only watch as Atem stood motionless for a moment. He almost wanted to ask again, but he knew there would be no rattling the young man for answers; not when it was Atem’s speciality to do so with other people.

He turned, fixing his crimson gaze directly upon Yusei, some several block away, and the sniper could only stare back at him in quiet startle. How the hell had he seen..? He never even mentioned where he-

In a flash of realisation, frustration burning at his own stupidity, he hissed a sighed behind clenched teeth. His phone. Atem had found him through his phone. Of all the simplistic, stupid moves he could’ve made…

“For the same reason you left Satisfaction,” Atem murmured softly.

Yusei’s eyes widened at the breath of a name across those lips, and he felt his entire being go rigid. How the hell had he known about _that!?_

In a sudden screech of deafening feedback that Yusei jerk his head away from sharply, the earbud was hastily ripped from its place. In the moment that the sniper turned his attention to the rooftop, he caught only the final dart of a suit jacket disappearing into the stairwell. Yusei snapped his finger around the trigger, catching only the tail end of the fabric as it vanished.

For a short moment, all Yusei could do was angrily stare at the rooftop where a dead man still lay bleeding. He didn’t know what the hell he had just stumbled onto with Atem, but he sure as hell knew there would be no ignoring the glaring fact about him now.

He pushed himself up to a kneel, hands resting on thighs as brows remained pinched. Whatever the truth, he knew that Atem had taken off with both their quarry _and_ the cash; something that Yubel was going to be infuriated with him over unless they were returned.

Atem was another thing altogether, but that…

Yusei sighed, running a hand through wild hair. That was something he could think about later. For now, he still had a job to finish, and a partner to confirm the status of.

‘Rogue’ was something he did _not_ relish, and he began to gather his things as thunder rolled at the edge of the city.

The weather, it seemed, only wanted to share his dark mood.

***

Yusei pushed the door to the sparse apartment open, stepping through with damp clothes and kicking it shut behind him. He felt chilled to the bone, and he just _knew_ a headache was lingering in the wings.

He groaned to himself as he dropped his belongings on the floor, not even bothering to unpack anything just yet. He craved a shower, and perhaps something spicy to eat, but to start with, he settled for ridding himself of his sodden jacket, walking to the kitchen and intending to drop it to the back of a chair.

The young man got as far as the doorway, when he noticed a steaming takeaway cup open the table, sitting alongside a small, yellow post-it.

Frowning to himself, and feeling his muscles tighten into quiet readiness once more, he kept his senses elsewhere as he stepped forward, draping his jacket over the chair and reaching for the note.

Blue eyes scanned the brief words, and something knotted in his stomach.

_“No Yliaster,_

_No Satisfaction,_

_I owe you far more than this, so stay tuned, Stardust._ ”

Yusei swallowed lightly at the use of his handle, blinking a little as he turned his attention to the cup waiting for him. He placed the note on the table once more, using both hands to pop the top off and peer into the contents of the paper cup, and the faint smirk found its way to his lips in a heartbeat.

He held in his hands a freshly brewed short black, something that was suggested to him some hours ago, and he shook his head, not even bothering to question how the bastard had known how to find his safehouse.

As he took a short sip of the steaming liquid, he felt it warm his very soul, and for a brief flicker of time, it really did seem like none of it mattered.


End file.
